Dinniman Releases Statement on ME1 Exposure & Lisa Drive Sinkhole

State Senator Andy Dinniman released the following statement on the appearance of a new sinkhole that exposed the Mariner East 1 pipeline off Lisa Drive in West Whiteland Township:

“Remember, this is the same pipeline, in the same area that I asked the PUC to shut down due to safety concerns over the summer. Their own administrative law judge (Elizabeth Barnes) agreed, writing in her opinion and order, ‘I believe given the release and accident history of Sunoco, there is a grave risk to the rupture of Mariner East 1 (ME1) . . .”

Yet, a month later, in June, the full PUC voted 3-2 in a split decision to allow ME1 to resume operation. In that opinion and order, the PUC asserted, ‘While the record contains accounts of Sunoco’s mishaps in other jurisdictions and other pipelines, there is no new, credible evidence to support a finding that the continued operation of ME1 poses a clear and present danger to life or property in West Whiteland Township.’

It’s also important to note that, the PUC took the testimony and report of Sunoco’s own geological expert at face value in making that statement and allowing ME1 to resume operation.

Now, ME1 is again exposed due to a sinkhole on Lisa Drive and it is most certainly a very real and very significant potential safety threat. To quote Yogi Berra, “It’s like déjà vu all over again.” …